It’s 1953, and just outside the Cambridgeshire village of Grantchester, local vicar Sidney Chambers (James Norton) has lost track of time, having spent a glorious morning with his fun loving friend, and the woman with whom he is secretly in love, Amanda Kendall (Morvern Christie). Racing to church, Sidney arrives just in time to minister at the funeral of a local solicitor - although his poor time- keeping earns the disapproval of his punctilious housekeeper Mrs Maguire (Tessa Peake-Jones). With the death a suicide, Sidney does his best to comfort young German widow Hildegard Staunton (Pheline Roggan), but is soon called away from his normal duties when the glamorous Pamela Morton (Rachel Shelley) asks to draw Sidney into her confidence.

When Amanda’s engagement ring is stolen on the same night a murder is committed, Sidney and Geordie investigate whether there might be a connection between the two crimes.

After the death of two elderly sisters, Sidney and Geordie try to track down a man on the run. Will they be able to catch the killer before he strikes again?

Sidney is awoken in the early hours by a fire in the village. Putting his own life on the line, Sidney drags the dazed Marion Taylor (Flora Montgomery) free from the burning house, much to the relief of her husband Dominic (Lee Williams). But there’s a mystery around the fire – was it really an accident, or was it started deliberately? And why was Marion so reluctant to leave the house? Normally Sidney would turn to Geordie when there was a mystery like this to be solved, but Sidney finds that the detective is far from his normal self – distracted and detached. When Dominic Taylor is found stabbed, Sidney is surprised to find that it’s Geordie’s junior, Atkins (Joe Claflin), that will be heading up the case – and he’s not exactly a fan of interfering vicars.

Sidney and Geordie travel to London for a night at Johnny Johnson’s jazz club, but they soon discover that policemen and clergymen can never truly be off duty.

With Amanda and Guy’s wedding fast approaching, and his betrayal of Hildegard still fresh in his mind, Sidney is thrown deep into crisis. With even those closest to Sidney struggling to get through to him, is he truly cut out for life as the vicar of Grantchester? The murder of a local policeman doesn’t help matters, as Sidney allows himself to be sucked back into another investigation rather than putting his house in order. However, tragedy strikes as Geordie and Sidney close in on the killer. With Geordie’s life hanging in the balance, and the killer still on the loose, the police close ranks, cutting Sidney out of the investigation. Believing that the police are on the wrong track, Sidney asks Mrs Maguire and Leonard if they will undertake a daring mission to help him gather much needed information about the killer.